The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) recently launched significant updates to two important Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) documents—the NextGen Concept of Operations Version 3.0 and the Safety Culture Improvement Resource Guide Version 1.6.

Concept of Operations Version 3.0
Version 3.0 of the JPDO NextGen Concept of Operations (ConOps) was released in December 2009. As described in the Executive Summary, the ConOps provides, in prose, “an end-state vision (i.e., 2025 perspective of NextGen), or baseline, that forms a widely understandable summary of the goals, concepts, capabilities, and planned transformations needed to realize the NextGen vision.”

Significant modifications from Version 2.0 to 3.0 include a revamped Executive Summary section, chapter reorganization, and graphical enhancements. Specifically, Version 3.0 is oriented around nine primary NextGen capabilities, which provide common terminology and clear alignment of NextGen concepts among the stakeholders. Each chapter has been updated to reflect new developments in planning for each capability as well as new sections describing related benefits and challenges.

The most noteworthy changes include critical revisions of Net-Centric Operations and Integrated Surveillance material. Additionally, data-heavy appendices previously included with the ConOps (e.g., Research Issues and Policy Issues) have been removed and incorporated into the Integrated Work Plan (IWP). Updated graphics more clearly illustrate the NextGen vision for ease of understanding.

The ConOps Version 3.0 is available on the JPDO’s Joint Planning Environment (JPE).

Safety Culture Improvement Resource Guide Version 1.6 –
Comment period now through February 15, 2010
The Safety Culture Improvement Resource Guide explains the importance of establishing a strong safety culture within the National Airspace System. It also provides practical tools for improving safety culture within aviation organizations. Emphasis is placed on fostering an atmosphere of trust, enhancing safety awareness and safe behaviors, and improving communication among employees and between employees and management.

This document was written by the Safety Culture Standing Committee of the JPDO Safety Working Group, which is comprised of representatives from the JPDO government partners, the aviation industry, and academic subject matter experts with experience in aviation safety. The Committee also reached out to over 20 industry stakeholders and government organizations around the world to gather practical source material for this Guide. These organizations contributed information about some of their most effective practices, which were used to help formulate recommendations for strengthening organizational safety culture.

The Safety Culture Standing Committee will maintain, review, and update the Guide periodically during the transition to NextGen. This maintenance will ensure that the appropriate safety focus is aligned with the most current data, and that the most effective approaches towards safety culture improvement are identified, assessed, and implemented.

Please comment by February 15, 2010. All comments should be entered into the comment matrix and submitted electronically to joan.devine@faa.gov. 

The Safety Culture Improvement Resource Guide Version 1.6 is available here.

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